COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 12, 2012) –At the conclusion of the Moscow Grand Slam, the U.S. men’s beach volleyball team of Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal has claimed the first decisive lead in the Chase for London.

Gibb (Bountiful, Utah) and Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) along with Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Nick Lucena (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) have been in a neck-and-neck race for the second spot on the U.S. Men’s Olympic beach volleyball team since the beginning of the 2012 FIVB SWATCH World Tour.

The first U.S. Olympic team spot is projected to go to Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Calif.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.), who withdrew from both Moscow and Rome, but should still be among the top-seeded teams in London.

Going into Moscow, Gibb and Rosenthal had 4,960 FIVB ranking points compared to Fuerbringer and Lucena’s 4,920. The 40-point gap expanded as Gibb and Rosenthal earned a fifth-place finish in Moscow and increased their ranking points to 5,200. Fuerbringer and Lucena’s ninth-place finish only boosted their score to 5,000.

With a 200-point spread heading into the final qualifying event in Rome, Fuerbringer and Lucena have their work cut out for them if they hope to overtake Gibb and Rosenthal.

Their last chance to close the gap is the smart Grand Slam Rome, slated for June 13-17. Gibb and Rosenthal as well as Fuerbringer and Lucena are slated to compete in what is sure to be an exciting conclusion to the Chase for London.

To follow the Chase for London since the begining of the season visit the USAV website.

For complete information on the 2012 FIVB SWATCH World Tour, visit their website.